The petition is against the proposed action of CPW and is aimed at stopping the increased cull on black bears and mountain lions. Katya Jolly (the founder of the petition) suggests that instead of CPW culling more animals, they should focus on the actual reasons for deer population decline such as “habitat loss, development, oil and gas drilling, hunting, and road construction.” In short, the petition maintains that predatory animals have nothing to do with the deer population decline and that a number of human factors are solely responsible. While this is true, the petition – as with all petitions – misses the point. It not only fails in practical terms; it actually promotes animal exploitation via assuming its legitimacy, as does every solitary signature added to the list of supporters. To explore the reasons for this, we need to take a look at the specifics for this par...